Office for Inclusive Community

Inclusivity is the practice of building just and equitable communities. Inclusivity
requires that we continuously awaken, and work to dismantle, the ideologies, patterns,
systems and practices that perpetuate oppression.

The Office for Inclusive Community (OIC) is Naropa’s home for social justice work—celebrating
diverse identities and creating a culture at Naropa that is radically inclusive. Rooted
in the school’s mission to “transform yourself, transform the world,” OIC supports
students, staff, faculty, and the institution at large to grow their awareness of
the dynamics of privilege, power and oppression, and to take social action. Recognizing
the reality of our interconnectedness, we understand that none of us are free until
we are all free, and we all play a role in social transformation. Thus, OIC welcomes
all people to engage in this work. Offering a number of educational opportunities,
community building events, and support groups, the OIC is dedicated to bringing contemplative
practice into alignment with compassionate action, one person at a time.

The Office is located in the heart of the Arapahoe campus, right across from the café
in Sycamore 8110. You are invited to stop by and say hello!

OIC’s Mission:

“Justice is what love looks like in public.”

-Cornel West

The Office for Inclusive Community’s mission is to create beloved community through
critical consciousness raising and cultural transformation. Our guiding principles
are clarity, rootedness, magic, ease and service, and we engage in a myriad of practices
in order to uphold our principles. As we believe that cultural transformation begins
in our own work environment, we disrupt capitalist assembly line values by practicing
connected and embodied collaboration.

Staff Spotlight

“Transformation, again, goes back to this idea of positive disintegration, really
getting down to the essence of self... Really thinking about—not necessarily just
what we want—but what the world needs. Being willing to suffer, in order to really
get whatever it is we need to get in our bones, so that we show up in the world like
a very different self. So we’re more willing to become vessels for change, and not
just polishing our egos.”

— Regina SmithDirector, The Office for Inclusive Community

Call & Response

Beloved Community

Call: To build a radically inclusive community in which each member feels vital and celebrated